"While the volumes of air freight carried by these companies as well as others such as DHL and TNT are growing rapidly in South Asia, the region still lacks hubs.
"The closest are situated in the high-cost locations of Bahrain, Dubai and Singapore.
It would be quite a coup for the Aviation Ministry to attract the first such hub in South Asia to Mattala.
"
"While the volumes of air freight carried by these companies as well as others such as DHL and TNT are growing rapidly in South Asia, the region still lacks hubs.
"The closest are situated in the high-cost locations of Bahrain, Dubai and Singapore. It would be quite a coup for the Aviation Ministry to attract the first such hub in South Asia to Mattala."
In an interview earlier this week, chairman of Airport and Aviation Services of Sri Lanka, Prasanna Wickramasuriya said they were trying to woo forwarding operators including UPS, Fedex and DHL.
"I am very pleased that these negotiations have commenced," Rohan Samarajiva, head o